Behind the Scenes with FOX's NFL crew: A feeding frenzy in Philadelphia

By Richie Zyontz
FOX NFL Lead Producer

Editor's Note: Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as the lead producer. He has more than 40 years of experience covering the league and has produced seven Super Bowls. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, he is providing an inside look as FOX's new No. 1 NFL team, including NFL legend Tom Brady, makes its journey toward Super Bowl LIX. Read more behind-the-scenes stories from Richie Zyontz here.

Producing an NFL game is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. All the voices, camera shots, replays and graphics need to fit neatly and intelligently together. It is a whirlwind of decisions made in an environment where seconds can feel like an eternity. The pressure on the brain is intense. That's live television.

But perhaps the most heated, pressure-packed decision we face days before each game is the one that most warms our hearts — where to go for our weekly team dinner.

Pressure from a surprising source

The responsibility is enormous. Feeding and satisfying a traveling group of 20 people, all with diverse tastes, is fraught with peril. Once, my wings were clipped after I repeatedly chose Italian restaurants. My punishment was spending a few Saturday nights watching others eat raw fish at sushi joints.

But this week, the pressure was off. Our visit to Philadelphia not only featured a titanic clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Eagles, it offered a unanimous choice for dinner — Aroma on 3rd — an old school Italian place (thank goodness) in South Philly.

The recommendation came from Dom DiSandro (Big Dom), the Eagles' head of security and jack of all trades. He steered us there last season, and we were so impressed that we mentioned it on air during the Eagles-49ers broadcast. Then minutes later, Dom got into a sideline tussle with San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw and got tossed from the game. Thus, a legend was born.

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Dom is now a local folk hero, with his own merchandise line. In fact, his appearance at the restaurant midway through our dinner elicited a bigger reaction than that of Tom Brady.

The food came at a breakneck pace. Film aficionados may recall the 1963 classic "La Grande Bouffe" with Marcello Mastroianni, where a group of friends decide to eat themselves to death. Luckily, we all left in good health, although associate producer Rich Gross seemed a bit wobbly.

Hurts So Good

Speaking of wobbly, the storyline all week in the alleged "City of Brotherly Love," was the criticism of quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philly's underwhelming passing game. Our cameras caught a warm pre-kick embrace between Hurts and the main griper, wide receiver AJ Brown. That hug was a precursor to a huge day for Hurts and his two main receivers, Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Hurts is an interesting figure. Often appearing sullen on your TV screens, sitting stone-faced on the bench and showing little emotion, he played with fire on Sunday, repeatedly earning Brady's praise. Tom wanted to see Hurts get the ball out quickly to improve his timing with his receivers. He did just that.

After the game, he earned the LFG Player of the Game award and showed the personality many thought he lacked. Hurts joked with Brady, stating, "you beat me a couple times, and now you're giving me trophies, that's how you do this now, huh?"

Validation from the GOAT will go a long way to ending whatever controversy was surrounding Hurts and the Eagles.

Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt and the team's excellent chemistry

Tom Brady has improved each week. Naturally, I'm biased, but his timing, pacing, proactive observations and ability to react to pictures, graphics and replays has become excellent. Players need reps to improve, and so do broadcasters. And having an unselfish, patient, and accommodating partner like Kevin Burkhardt helps a ton. Their chemistry is real, the same at the dinner table on Saturday night as it is on the air on Sunday. Chemistry can't be manufactured. Either you have it or you don't. They have it in spades.

Our reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi were kept busy on the deceptively frigid sidelines as a parade of key players entered the blue tent with injuries. Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and TJ Watt all required medical attention. And while we added new heaters to cozy up our booth, our reporters were left to the elements and helpfully kept us informed throughout the eventful game.

And one last note on Big Dom … As is their habit, our cameras followed the activity on the Eagles bench after a bad special teams penalty, and they captured head coach Nick Sirianni seemingly in an argument with the guilty player, Jalen Carter, and his position coach Clint Hurtt. 

Lo and behold, in stepped Big Dom as the peacemaker and presto — the argument was over.

So, on the 56th anniversary of disgruntled Eagles fans pelting Santa Claus with snowballs, the Philly faithful departed happy after seeing their beloved Eagles win their 10th consecutive game. 

And one follow-up to last week's sore throat — Brady discovered the John Madden remedy of warm water, lemon and honey. It did the trick and will now be part of the TB 12 routine. 

Now, our traveling circus gets a few days to prepare for a Saturday showdown between the Steelers and Ravens in Baltimore. It's a crucial game with playoff implications, and the first time our crew has ever had a weekend game featuring two AFC teams.

Crab cakes, here we come!

Richie Zyontz has been an NFL producer for FOX since 1994 and is in his 23rd season as lead producer. He boasts more than 40 years of experience covering the NFL.